The San Francisco 49ers figured out more than a handful of ways to beat themselves over the course of Week 4's 26-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Generally speaking, it's pretty hard to win games with a minus-4 turnover differential, so watching the Niners fall to 3-1 after turning the ball over four times with zero takeaways of their own makes a lot of sense.
Five drops by San Francisco receivers (and that might be generous) didn't help matters, and neither did a complete lack of a pass rush. The 49ers couldn't contain Jags running back Travis Etienne, and we can't even begin to point out just how bad the Niners were on special teams with punt and kick coverage, giving up an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown.
All bad, right? Well, yes.
But, the ironic part is San Francisco still nearly managed to win the game. And there's a silver lining to be had there, even if it seems futile to discuss after such an embarrassing loss.
49ers nearly beat Jaguars despite laundry list of brutal errors
Week 4 was setting up to be yet another one of those last-second miraculous victories the 49ers have seemingly gotten used to this season, particularly with quarterback Brock Purdy and the offense driving late and trailing by a mere five points, following a Jacksonville field-goal miss that would have made it an eight-point game.
Of course, with 2:52 left in regulation, Purdy's fumble at the hands of former Niners defensive tackle Arik Armstead put an end to all hope of a comeback, but it doesn't change the fact San Francisco wasn't exactly blown out of the water despite so many gaffes.
"It was tough to overcome those four turnovers," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game. "Then you give up a punt return for a touchdown. Then we didn't get any. Still had a chance to win that. Had the ball with two-and-a-half minutes left, down five, I believe around the 50-yard line, but then had another turnover."
No, Week 4's defeat can't be called a moral victory. Not at all. And one has to admit the Jaguars also made things difficult on themselves, particularly with 12 penalties for 90 yards, many of which were of the offensive pre-snap variety.
Yet the 49ers did almost everything possible to set Week 4 up as a complete blowout. And let's not pretend the upstart Jags are a horrible team either. That defense is legit.
So, the fact the Niners still had a solid chance to come away with a win despite all their woes reveals something positive.
And that might be the lone thing Shanahan and Co. can hang their hat on after such an embarrassing outing.